Daniel Kessler

LAGRANGE, WYOMING......Funeral services with military rites for DANIEL FRANKLIN LANE KESSLER, 87, will be held on Monday, June 30th, 2008 at 2 pm at Bear Creek Church, followed by interment at the LaGrange cemetery. Don Mathis will be officiating. Daniel died June 24 in Cheyenne. Visitation hours will be Sunday, June 29, from 3-6 pm at the Colyer Funeral Home. Memorials are made to the donor’s choice. Arrangements are under the direction of the Colyer Funeral Home and friends are invited to share their condolences to the family online at www.colyerfuneralhome.com. He was born in Torrington on February 27, 1921, to Albert Raymond and Olive (Yoder) Kessler, the fifth of eight children. Dan was raised on the family ranch on Bear Creek, west of LaGrange. In the summers during hay season, he worked alongside his brothers and friends, Ross Davis and Clarence Mercer in the fields. Dan drove the sweep and was known for the large loads of hay he could bring to the stacker. He served in the army during WWII along with his brother John, his cousin Dale, and their friend, Paul Mercer who were in the marines. While he was at Fort Warren he played the flute in the band. After the war, Dan worked in Alaska and on a ranch in Hawaii. He was known as an excellent horse trainer and he later lived on the family ranch, which is now run by his nephew John. He continued at the ranch for several years following the deaths of his parents Olive and Ray, and then eventually moved to Torrington. There he lived on West A street until his health required him to moved to Cheyenne to the Veterans Administration Care Center. Dan collected and traded coins and owned several books of western history and lore that conveyed stories about sheriffs and desperados of the old west. He was a quiet man of few words, however he enjoyed the company of his family and friends and was often seen dining at deacon’s restaurant and strolling along the streets of town. Dan was also often in the company of his nephew, Donnie E. Kessler, of LaGrange, who devotedly watch over him in his later years. Dan is survived by his youngest sister, Alda Marie Stewart of Hemet, California, his sister in law, Jeannette Kessler and nephew, Don E. Kessler, both of LaGrange, Wyoming, and several other nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, his sister Sadie and his brothers Albert, Raymond, Charles, Fritz, and John.

Daniel Kessler

February 27, 1921 - June 24, 2008